By the Choost Games team — indie game developers behind Granny's Rampage and Granny's Gambit. We play what we recommend.

Elden Ring vs Dark Souls — Which From Software Game to Play First

Elden Ring is the better first Soulslike for new players — the open world lets you leave a hard boss and come back stronger, which Dark Souls' linear structure doesn't allow. Dark Souls is the better game for people who already love the formula — its focused level design and interconnected world create a tighter, more cohesive experience. Both are masterpieces. The order you play them matters.

The Core Difference

Feature	Elden Ring	Dark Souls (1/3)
World structure	Open world — go anywhere	Linear/interconnected — gated progression
Stuck on a boss?	Leave, explore, level up, return	Push through or find a different path
Build variety	Massive — 100+ weapons, ashes of war	Large but more constrained
Difficulty curve	Self-adjustable via exploration	Fixed — the game sets the pace
Boss count	80+ (many optional)	20-25 (most required)
Boss quality	High peaks, some filler	Consistently designed, fewer throwaway fights
World interconnection	Hub-and-spoke, fast travel anywhere	DS1: brilliant interconnection. DS3: more linear
Multiplayer	Summons + invasions	Summons + invasions (tighter integration)
Length	60-120 hours	30-50 hours per game
Entry price	$40-60	$20-40 (frequently on sale)

Why Elden Ring Is Better for Newcomers

The open world solves the Soulslike accessibility problem. In Dark Souls, hitting a wall means either beating the wall or quitting. The Capra Demon, Ornstein and Smough, the Nameless King — these bosses have been quit-points for millions of players because the game offers no alternative path forward.

Elden Ring says "can't beat Margit? Go explore Limgrave, level up, find a better weapon, come back." The boss hasn't changed, but you have. This self-directed difficulty adjustment preserves the satisfaction of overcoming a challenge without the frustration of having no alternative.

Spirit Ashes add another accessibility layer. Summoning AI companions doesn't trivialize fights, but it divides enemy attention, giving you breathing room to learn patterns. Purists can ignore them entirely. New players can use them as training wheels.

Why Dark Souls Is Better for Veterans

Dark Souls' linear structure creates a pressure that Elden Ring's open world diffuses. When you beat Ornstein and Smough, you've beaten them — there's no over-leveling, no spirit summon, no coming back later with a weapon twice as strong. The victory is purer because the game didn't offer an escape route.

Dark Souls 1's world design is legendary for good reason. Every area connects to other areas through shortcuts, elevators, and hidden paths. The moment you take an elevator from the Undead Parish and emerge at Firelink Shrine — a location you'd been to hours ago — is one of gaming's great architectural revelations. Elden Ring's Lands Between is beautiful but doesn't create these structural surprises because fast travel removes the need for physical connection.

Boss quality per-boss is higher in Dark Souls 3 specifically. Elden Ring has 80+ bosses, but many are repeated across the open world or serve as field encounters rather than designed arena fights. Dark Souls 3's ~20 bosses are each individually crafted, with unique arenas, phase transitions, and lore significance.

Build Comparison

Elden Ring's build variety is staggering. Strength, dexterity, intelligence, faith, arcane, and hybrid combinations produce dozens of viable playstyles. The Ashes of War system lets you customize weapon skills, and the Spirit Ash system adds a pseudo-summoner class. You can play Elden Ring as a sorcerer, a samurai, a paladin, a bleed-build rogue, or a shield-poking tank, and each feels like a different game.

Dark Souls has build variety too, but it's narrower. Dark Souls 1 famously has several "correct" builds and many that struggle. Dark Souls 3 broadened the options but still doesn't match Elden Ring's breadth. The trade-off is that Dark Souls builds feel more committed — respeccing is limited, and choosing a build path early shapes your entire playthrough.

The Recommended Order

If you've never played a Soulslike: Elden Ring → Dark Souls 3 → Dark Souls 1 → Sekiro → Bloodborne.

Elden Ring teaches the combat fundamentals in a forgiving structure. Dark Souls 3 refines those skills in a focused environment. Dark Souls 1 rewards you with the series' best world design once you're comfortable with the mechanics. Sekiro and Bloodborne are spin-offs with their own combat systems that benefit from Soulslike literacy.

If you've played Dark Souls already: Just play Elden Ring. It's the evolution of everything From Software has built.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Elden Ring easier than Dark Souls? Not inherently — individual bosses and enemies are comparable in difficulty. Elden Ring is more accessible because the open world lets you choose your difficulty through exploration and leveling. If you fight everything at the minimum recommended level, Elden Ring is arguably harder than Dark Souls.

Do I need to play Dark Souls before Elden Ring? No. Elden Ring has a completely separate world, story, and characters. There are thematic connections and mechanical evolution, but no plot continuity.

Which Dark Souls is the best? Dark Souls 1 for world design and atmosphere. Dark Souls 3 for boss fights and combat fluidity. Dark Souls 2 for build variety and PvP. Each has its devoted fanbase.